


Corona's #1 Hotspot

by newsies_of_corona



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alchemy, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Mystery, This is basically just straight chaos with a moral, alchemy bros, cassandra isn't evil this time, eugene takes his job as captain very seriously, lots of shenanigans, rap battle without a rap cause I couldn't come up with one, rapunzel and eugene are cute, royal engineer varian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 21:41:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24423688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsies_of_corona/pseuds/newsies_of_corona
Summary: A party has sprung up in Corona in the last week, and it's up to Captain Eugene Fitzherbert to figure out who's running it and why...
Comments: 10
Kudos: 48





	Corona's #1 Hotspot

Captain Eugene Fitzherbert was lounging in a chair in his office, reading yet another “peace disturbance” report. There had been a huge club that sprang up a week ago, and the citizens in the town were not having it. He had gotten reports of the situation every day since the party started, but none of the reports said anything about where the club was located. And the strange part of all of it was that people refused to tell him. The endless notices were stacked high up on his desk and were starting to spill on the floor. 

Eugene waved around the paper he was reading in a sarcastic manner.

“Mr. Captain there’s a disruption happening, but we aren’t going to tell you where or when! You get to figure that out as part of your job!” 

Just then he heard a knock on the already open door.

“How’s the Captain of the Guard life treating you, Fitzherbert?” Cassandra asked, cynically, picking up one of the notices on the ground.

“Cass. Even better,” Eugene replied, rolling his eyes. “Oh, you know, it’s just great. Except for the fact that no one in this kingdom is able to be _specific_!” Eugene yelled.

Cass simply laughed.

“Yeah, that’s one of the best parts of the job: the mystery factor.”

“This is not just a normal mystery, Cass _an_ dra. I have no idea who is running this club or who’s involved and- oh wait this is exactly like a normal mystery.”

“Precisely,” Cassandra replied. “I’ve actually heard some reports about this party around the area as well. As it turns out, it spreads much farther than just Corona.”

“Well great. Now I’ve gotta go searching throughout the entire seven kingdoms! Way to lighten the load, Cass _an_ -”

“Not so fast. I’ve been collecting some clues over the past few days, and the party is definitely happening in Corona. Apparently, it’s more of an ‘undercover’ kind of club. There’s a password to get in and everything,” the woman told him.

“That’s all well and good, but how does that help me in any way?” Eugene asked, standing up.

“Because...I know the password, the route to get in, and I have a reason to believe that the party is being run by someone within these very walls,” she added mysteriously.

Eugene walked over to her, the notice in hand.

“Wow. As much as I hate to admit it, that was actually a lot of help. If you don’t mind my asking though, how do you know all of this?”

Eugene figured that Cassandra may have had connections going through a long line of people since she had been gone “finding herself” and probably knew some people by now. She decided to come back to Corona to visit yesterday, and he had to admit it was nice to have her back. Maybe solving this mystery together would feel like old times.

To his surprise, however, Cassandra simply put one of the notices on the table and flipped it around backward.

“Pencil?” she said, more like a command than an ask.

Eugene looked at her in disbelief and gave her a pencil that was sitting next to her hand.

“Do you really want me to do everything for you?” 

“It’s more fun that way,” she replied.

Cassandra rubbed the pencil lead onto the paper, revealing some sort of map. As she rubbed a little further, words began to appear. Eugene guessed that that was the password.

“How did you figure that out?” Eugene asked dumbfounded.

“It’s a basic rule, Fitzherbert. Always look for more clues in any way that you can.”

Under further inspection, the map seemed to be a layout of Herz De Sonne’s tunnels that ran under Corona. There was only a select few who knew about those tunnels, so Eugene could see where Cassandra’s reasoning had come from.

“Okay, so what’s our strategy here? Interrogation? Good cop, bad cop?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

“You basically just said ‘interrogation’ twice and no. I was thinking of something a little more discreet...”

~

“Rapunzel, can you hand me the wrench over there?” Varian asked in a muffled voice from underneath his machine. 

Rapunzel had come into Varian’s workspace that morning to see how the hot water machines were coming along. It was Varian’s second week as Royal Engineer, and she liked to check on him just to see how things were going, and to make sure he wasn’t under too much stress. Varian was just finishing up his last machine, and he’d been enjoying the princess’ company through the whole process. He had gladly put Rapunzel to work the second she showed interest since she was one of the only people he actually trusted to handle his alchemy.

“Sure thing, Var!” Rapunzel replied as she tossed him the tool.

Varian grabbed the wrench and twisted in the last bolt with satisfaction. 

The engineer stood up to admire his handiwork as he slid his goggles back to the top of his head. 

“Done!” He exclaimed.

As soon as those words escaped his mouth, there was a loud explosion, and bolts shot out everywhere. The princess and the alchemist's hair shot up from the blast.

After a moment Varian let out a sigh.

“On second thought, we’re going to need that wrench again, heh,” he gestured to the tool that had flown to the other side of the room.

Rapunzel laughed and helped him pick up the remnants of the blast.

Eugene and Cassandra walked in to find the mess, and Eugene immediately starting to help with the cleanup process without a second thought. Ever since Varian had become the Royal Science Nerd, it was a normal occurrence to walk into an explosion.

“Hey, Sunshine!” Eugene called to Rapunzel.

“Hairstripe,” he added to Varian, who waved.

“Cass and I were talking about investi-”

Cassandra elbowed him.

“Er, I mean _going_ to an event tonight. How does that sound to you?”

Rapunzel perked up and walked over to him.

“An event? Sounds fun! What kind of event?”

“We’ll explain on the way, Raps,” Cassandra added. It’s kind of more of a...secret thing.”

Varian also perked up at this but said nothing.

“Ooh sounds exciting! Can we invite Varian too?” Rapunzel asked.

“Well-“ Cassandra started.

Varian cut her off.

“It does sound fun, princess, but I’m pretty slammed here as it is, heh,” Varian said, gesturing to the mess around him. “I’ll probably be working all night.”

Rapunzel frowned a bit and went over to comfort Varian.

“You don’t have to feel pressured to fix all of this by tonight. You have a lot of time before the actual inspection next week,” she told him.

Varian shrugged.

“Yeah I know I just like to get my work out of the way, heh.”

Eugene walked over and ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Don’t work yourself too hard, kid,”

Varian laughed nervously.

“Haha, I’ll try not to,” he replied with a slight smile.

Ruddiger jumped up and grabbed the wrench out of Varian’s hand, running away with it in his mouth.

“Gah! Ruddiger!” Varian called running after him, “Give that back! It’s not an apple!” 

The remaining group laughed at the boy. Varian had had his dark times, but he was still just a dorky kid at heart, and they all loved him for it.

~

“Who’s ready for lunch?” Lance called out the window in a sing-song voice.

“Oh! Me, Me!” Angry answered from the ground.

“I’m hungry as a wolf! Catalina said, darting into the treehouse as soon as Lance called them in.

She briefly changed into her werewolf form and let out a little growl, making her dad jump.

“Sorry!” She exclaimed as she sat down.

Lance warily set a sandwich in front of her.

“How do I keep forgetting that you can do that?” He asked.

Angry walked inside with three other people trailing behind her.

“Don’t look at me! They just followed me in here!” Angry retorted when Catalina gave her a look.

“Lance, buddy! Can you spare some chow for some poor lost travelers?” Eugene asked his best friend.

Lance turned around to face his visitors.

“Eugene! Princess! Oh and is that Cassandra? Good to see you all again!”

“Hi, Lance! And hello girls! Where have you all been? We miss you around the castle,” Rapunzel told them.

“We’ve been here, Princess. I’ve definitely been busy taking care of these girls. No one said being a father would be easy,” he laughed.

“Hey! it’s pretty much only Angry who gets into trouble!” Catalina yelled.

“I’m not the one who can grow claws and a tail!” Angry bit back.

“See what I mean?” Lance told them.

Rapunzel giggled.

“Well just know that you’re always welcome at the castle anytime!” she exclaimed.

“Well only if it’s alright with the honorable Captain Eugene Fitzherbert,” Lance mocked Eugene.

The Captain slapped his friend on the back.

“Of course it is, mighty Lance Strongbow, father of two,” Eugene retorted sarcastically.

Lance blankly looked at him.

“Yeah you are never saying that again,” he scoffed.

“Agreed,” Eugene said quickly, taking his hand off.

Cassandra only laughed cynically, which Eugene tried to avoid.

“Now about lunch, I only made enough for the girls and myself but I’m sure I could make some more-”

Rapunzel cut him off.

“It’s alright Lance. We had lunch at the Capitol. We actually stopped by with an invite for you all!”

Cassandra nudged Eugene again.

“Oh, that’s right! We’re going somewhere tonight, just a small outing, and we were wondering if you and the girls would like to go,” Eugene stated.

Lance and the girls shared a hurried glance.

“Ah. I’m sorry Eugene. As much as we’d love to go, we’re having a family game night tonight. It’s a very important ordeal,” Lance phrased carefully.

“A game night, huh? What kind of game?” Cassandra asked suspiciously.

Lance struggled to answer her question until Angry spoke up.

“It’s a...card game! One that we made up on the first day we moved here. It’s actually a deck that Lance kept from the orphanage so it’s very sentimental. It serves as a reminder of the family bond that we have created and how we will always love each other no matter what.”

Catalina and Lance gaped at her, and Rapunzel gave her a big hug.

“Aww, you guys that’s amazing! Sounds like such a great family activity! We’ll leave you to it!” the princess exclaimed.

Cassandra objected.

“Wait, Raps maybe we should-”

“Thank you so much for stopping by!” Lance said, while practically pushing them out the door.

“I don’t think-” Cass started.

Catalina slammed the door quickly, and the group let out a sigh of relief when Rapunzel and gang were finally gone.

“You are one good liar,” Lance smiled at Angry.

She gave him a sly smile.

“Well, I did learn from the best!”

~

“Believe me, it’s Lance. He was acting way too strange back there,” Cass told Eugene when they got back to the palace.

“Oh, that’s just like you Cass _an_ dra. Going after _my_ best friends.”

Cass scoffed. “Though it may be hard to get through your head, this isn’t actually about you, Fitzherbert. You seriously don’t see all the obvious clues?” she asked condescendingly.

Rapunzel heard their fighting and stepped in the middle of them to break it up.

“Woah, woah, slow down you guys! I’m not quite sure what this is all about, but you heard what Angry said, Cass. They’re having a special family game night and it’s understandable why they couldn’t come,” Rapunzel told her sympathetically.

“Raps, trust me, it’s all a cover-up! It has to be Lance,” Cass repeated.

“Cassandra I have to side with Eugene on this one. I mean, being a parent _is_ hard work...” Rapunzel trailed off.

“Ugh, fine. But when we get to the party and it really is Lance, I can’t wait to see the looks on both of your faces,” Cass jeered.

~

Once Eugene and Cassandra filled Rapunzel in on the whole “secret party thing,” she was thrilled and wanted to go as soon as possible. As the sun began to set, the group met up at the opening to the underground tunnels wearing cloaks with hoods to conceal their identities. They jumped down into the entrance, and Rapunzel started navigating using the map and a torch so that they could see where they were going. She really missed her glowing hair at times like these.

“Listen, guys. I’ve been in the tunnels multiple times and they are lined with booby traps. We have to be very carefu-”

She was cut off when Eugene stepped on a loose brick in the floor, triggering two arrows to come flying at his fiancee. They were luckily blocked by the torch in her hand.

“Nice going,” Cassandra remarked.

“Well, that’s one down,” Rapunzel laughed nervously.

After about an hour of walking, the group neared the end of the tunnels. They were able to make it through mostly unscathed, though Eugene did trigger his fair share of booby traps. The map led them down one more tunnel which felt very familiar to Rapunzel, but she wasn’t quite sure how. The tunnel ended with a ladder leading up to a trap door that the group assumed was the entrance to the party. Eugene was holding the map now, and they waited for him to say the password so that they could get in. Eugene glanced at the paper quizzically and cleared his throat.

“Boats.”

When nothing happened, Cassandra looked at him in disbelief.

“Boats? Are you serious? That’s the dumbest password I have ever heard.”

“It’s not like I came up with it, Cass!” 

Rapunzel heard a gear begin to turn and quickly shushed them.

“Shh guys! Listen!”

The sound of gears turning grew louder until the trap door started to slowly open. 

“Ha! I told you! Maybe this guy just has a thing about boats?” Eugene whispered.

“Does _Lance_ have a thing for boats?” Cass asked sarcastically.

“...I’m not answering that.”

The group climbed up the ladder and in through the door, slightly scared of what they might find. 

“Remember, we are here to stop this party. While we can have some fun, please try not to get too sucked in,” Cassandra told the couple.

~

The first thing Rapunzel noticed was the music. It was incredibly loud for just a small band, and she saw that the instruments had been hooked up to a speaker of some kind to amplify their sound. The room was packed with people and it was incredibly dark except for hues of pink, green, and blue light shining in all directions. The light also seemed to be spinning somehow. Before she could tell what was actually making the room glow, she was pushed in the direction of a clump of people dancing and yelling. Rapunzel couldn’t resist and jumped right in with the rest of them.

Eugene was the last one out of the trapdoor, and he was also pretty blown away by the sight of the event. He saw Cassandra waiting in a corner and walked up to her.

“This is _some_ party, huh? By the way, have you seen Rapunzel?”

Cass gestured to the mosh pit-like clump in the middle of the room.

“We already lost her,” she shrugged.

Eugene watched as Rapunzel quickly became the life of the party, and it took him back to their first day in Corona together.

“Yeah, I should have seen that coming,” he laughed. “Should we go join her?”

Cassandra shrunk back into her corner.

“Parties aren’t really my scene, but knock yourself out Fitzherbert,” she told him as she pushed him out into the crowd. 

“Just remember to arrest Lance when you find him!” Cass shouted to him.

Eugene found Rapunzel and they began dancing together as the last song ended.

Suddenly, the crowd became quiet and moved to make way for a man in a bedazzled suit holding a microphone-type device who stepped up on the stage. At first, there was only a shadow, but a spotlight flipped on and Eugene could clearly see who it was.

The Captain gasped.

_“Lance?”_

Cassandra hadn’t been paying attention but tuned back in when she heard that she had been right. She quickly ran over to the couple to brag to Eugene.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for making it out here tonight!” Lance began.

The crowd erupted into applause, including Rapunzel who was sincerely enjoying the moment.

“Let’s give a big round of applause for our band, coming all the way from the Snuggly Duckling!”

The crowd cheered once again, Rapunzel getting even more into it when she saw all the thugs on the stage.

Once the applause died down, the music started back up again and Lance brought out a flashcard from his pocket.

“And now...the moment you have all been waiting for…”

A confetti cannon exploded somewhere near the front of the stage and the lights all focused on the middle of the stage.

“The one who made the magic happen...”

“Wait what?” Cassandra whispered.

“I told you it wasn’t Lance!” Eugene whispered back.

There was a loud throat clear from behind the curtain.

“Oh excuse me, I mean the _science_ , happen,” Lance corrected.

“The alchemist of the hour...”

The group’s jaw dropped as a red smoke bomb erupted, and a familiar kid in a huge coat and a metal mask appeared from the fog.

_“Variannnnnn!”_

The eccentric alchemist threw his mask into the audience, spread his arms out wide, and pasted a huge smile on his face, taking in all the praise. He really knew how to work the crowd.

“How’s everybody doing tonight?!” Varian called out to the crowd.

Varian took an alchemy ball in his hand and threw it in the air, making a shower of some sort of blue potion fall around everyone.

The crowd cheered loudly in response, but Rapunzel, Cassandra, and Eugene were still trying to figure out what was happening.

“Varian! Varian! Varian!” The crowd chanted.

“Oh, please let’s cheer for something that’s really worth cheering for!” Varian called out. “Alchemy! Alchemy!”

“Alchemy Alchemy!” The crowd joined in.

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Varian unleashed another bomb of color, dousing everyone in purple this time.

He signaled the band.

“Let’s get this party started!”

~

“Hot fizzy chocolate! Get your hot fizzy chocolate right here, folks!” Angry called out.

Rapunzel stood in shock as the party moved around her.

“Varian?” she asked in disbelief.

“Varian,” Angry replied nonchalantly as she handed the princess a drink.

Angry and Catalina were going around the room with plates of ham sandwiches, and the famous “fizzy hot chocolate.”

“Family game night. Sure...” Rapunzel trailed off upon seeing them.

She took a sip of the drink in her hand and was delighted by the sweet taste.

“Oooo! This is delicious!”

~

Cassandra was pacing around on a space on the floor, trying to figure out how she guessed wrong.

“All of this sleuthing the whole day just to find out that _Varian_ is the party animal? How does that make any sense?”

A blond-haired boy not much older than the famed alchemist heard her statement and scooted up next to her.

“Haha, no, no, no. Goggles isn’t the party animal.”

He turned her to face the stage to see Varian throwing Ruddiger, covered in glowing alchemy, into the crowd.

“That is.” He smirked.

“Make way for the party animal!!” Someone random shouted.

Cassandra just stared, completely dumbfounded.

~

Meanwhile, Eugene was struggling to process everything that was happening.

“ _Hairstripe_ is the one- I don’t- Come on, _he’s a nerd_!!”

Apparently, he said the last part of that statement a bit too loudly, because the music immediately stopped and the crowd became silent.

“Looks like someone out there has challenged The Alchemist in a rap battle!” Lance announced.

“Oooooh!” The crowd said in unison.”

“What? No, I didn’t-“

Eugene looked to Varian in the corner, who was already preparing by cracking his neck and his knuckles.

Lance ushered Eugene up on the stage, his hood still obscuring most of his face.

“And what is your name good sir?” The announcer asked in a dramatic manner.

“Ah. My name. Well, which one would you like? I do have three,” Eugene replied.

Lance became very alert at this and took a better look at the man next to him.

“Eugene?”

Eugene pulled off his hood and Varian looked at him in shock.

“Eu-Eugene! Uh...hi?” Varian nervously waved.

~

Rapunzel was enjoying all of the activities that the party had to offer. Her favorites so far were the glowing, colorful potions that exploded in her face when shaken, turning her hair different colors. Rapunzel’s hair was now full of pink, blue, and purple and she was having the time of her life at Varian’s party. She especially loved the middle of the crowd and all of the dancing. Everything was going well until she twirled a bit too fast, and her hood flung off of her head, exposing her to everyone.

~

Varian looked away from Eugene to see the Princess standing in the middle of the room.

“Rapunzel! You’re here too, heh,” Varian voiced nervously.

“And I’m supposing Cass-”

Cassandra threw off her hood, accidentally-on-purpose, smacking the smart aleck kid next to her.

The whole room went quiet, and the crowd exchanged muffled whispers.

Varian turned back to Eugene with a defeated kind of demeanor.

“So I’m guessing you’re here to shut down the party, heh.” He looked down and nervously held his arm across his body.

Eugene was about to say something but stopped himself when he looked around. He saw a whole group of people watching Varian, waiting for what he was going to do or say next. For the first time in his life, Varian was actually popular and people were enjoying the talents that he had. No one was jeering at him or making him feel bad if there was a slight explosion, it was all apart of the fun. The alchemist had come so far from being one of Corona’s most wanted, and this party was a way for him to boost his self-esteem. He could at least let it go on for one more night.

After a moment, Eugene finally spoke.

“Shut down the party? No way! The last time I checked I had a rap battle to win.”

Varian slowly looked up at Eugene and a bright smile started to form. Eugene gave the kid a wink, making Varian laugh out of relief.

“You heard him, folks! The Alchemist vs...” Lance trailed off.

“What do you want your name to be Eugene?”

Eugene glanced at a potion on the table and stated proudly.

“How about Flynnolium.”

Varian’s face lit up for a second, but he quickly regained his smirk.

“You’re going down,” He told Eugene, playfully.

“Prepare to eat your words, kid.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Get ready for our next science rap battle! Flynnolium vs. The Alchemist!” Lance announced.

“Wooo!!! Go Eugene!! Go Varian!!” Rapunzel shouted.

“Yeah!” Eugene yelled, hyping himself up. “Wait, did you say science-”

“Go!”

~

Eugene was completely out of breath by the end of the rap battle, and he had lost by a _lot_. He had to hand It to Varian, the kid knew his science.

“I hope I didn’t burn you too badly,” Varian joked after it was over.

“No, no. I’m okay. I’ll just have to piece my ego back together when I get back home.”

Varian chuckled and then changed his tone.

“I have to ask, why are you letting me go on with the party?”

Eugene put a hand on Varian’s shoulder.

“Well there isn’t anything dangerous going on, and it seems like it’s a good thing for you. But I also have to ask, Varian, why did you keep all of this from us? I mean it seems like everyone in Corona knew about this club except Cassandra, Rapunzel, and me.” 

“Hey, Captain!” Pete called, walking by with a ham sandwich.

“See?” Eugene motioned to him.

Varian laughed nervously.

“Heh, well I was just...worried that you guys wouldn’t like it? I don’t know. I mean I don’t want to lose you all as friends. I still wanted you all to come, though so that’s why I sent all of those “peace disturbance” reports as a way to indirectly invite you, heh.”

“You were the one behind those? Those drove me crazy kid! Your plan did work, though. I mean we’re all here and everyone seems to be having a great time.”

Varian started to smile a little more as Eugene went on.

“Varian, just know that we’re not just your friends, we’re your family, and we will always support you and be here for you no matter what. You can’t get rid of us this easily,” Eugene smirked.

Varian smiled brightly

“Thanks, for saying that,” he said sincerely.

“One thing that has been bugging me all night though; where did you find this awesome club?”

Varian looked blankly at the man.

“Find? Eugene this is my _house_. You’re in Old Corona,” he laughed.

The man facepalmed.

“How did I _miss_ that?” 

Varian laughed and walked over to where Rapunzel and Cassandra were talking.

“I see someone’s been having some fun with the explosives,” Varian said, pointing out Rapunzel’s hair.

“Oh, haha yes! They’re so much fun!” Rapunzel giggled.

“Ha, I’m glad you like them!” He told her.

“And how are you making the room glow like this? It’s incredible!” she exclaimed, looking around.

“The power of alchemy, heh!”

No one could tell from the darkness of the room, but Varian was blushing big time. He had never really experienced people actually liking his inventions and alchemy, and he was glad that he could provide something for the people of Corona to enjoy after all that he put them through.

~

While Varian was occupied, Cassandra walked over to Eugene to talk to him.

“What was all of that back there? Are you making him shut down the party?” She asked.

“Well turns out Varian was actually the one behind the ‘complaints.’ He just wanted us to come but wasn’t sure how to ask.”

“Well that does sound like Varian,” Cassandra stated.

“Definitely. And I mean no one is in danger and no laws are being broken, so I just figure let the kid have some fun and some time in the spotlight.” Eugene added.

“I’m proud of you, Fitzherbert. You’re much more tolerable now than when I first met you.”

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” Eugene laughed.

~

Cassandra turned back to Varian.

“So, you’re the one who’s behind all of the noise complaints. I should have guessed,” Cassandra remarked.

Varian laughed nervously.

“Heh, yeah.”

“Varian this party is absolutely amazing! I never knew you to be the party-planning type!

Rapunzel exclaimed.

The alchemist chuckled.

“Haha, heh, well honestly it just kind of happened! I never meant for it to turn into this.”

Eugene, Lance, and the girls walked over to where the group was sitting to join in the conversation.

“I’m sorry, Hairstripe, did you say that you didn’t mean for this party to happen? How is that even possible?” Eugene asked.

“Ooh yes! Tell them the story!” Catalina spoke up.

“Well okay. So first what happened was I met this guy when I was traveling to Bayangor to get some special parts for a project and-”

“You talkin’ about me?” The blond boy asked, popping up directly behind Varian.

“Gah! Yes. Don’t interrupt.” Varian told him, gritting his teeth. “So then I-”

“Wait, Varian, who’s your friend?” Rapunzel cut him off.

Varian huffed.

“Everybody this is Hugo. Hugo this is everybody. So after I-”

“You’re not gonna introduce your friends to me, Goggles? Specifically that beautiful tall one in the corner?” 

Hugo winked at Cassandra who rolled her eyes.

“In your dreams, kid,” she scoffed.

Varian snorted.

“That’s Cass. I wouldn’t get too close if I were you, heh. Now as I was saying-”

“Oh, this must be the beautiful Princess Rapunzel of Corona!” Hugo exclaimed.

“Ugh, you know what, Hugo? Why don’t you tell the story,” Varian said, offended.

Hugo paid him no attention and continued on with his flirting.

“I see why people refer to you as the Sundrop,” he teased.

Rapunzel chuckled uncomfortably and Eugene shot him a death glare.

“Ha ha hello? Yeah buddy, she’s my Sundrop.”

Varian cleared his throat.

“That’s great, now can we please get back to my stor-”

“Captain Eugene Fitzherbert, I presume?” Hugo went on.

“Yeah, kid. You’re looking at him.” Eugene stated.

“May I just say you are-”

The Captain cut him off.

“Let me guess, you’re the con-artist type who gets through life by flirting with everyone and taking advantage of people. Trust me, kid. That life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Hugo was finally rendered speechless and Varian sighed in relief.

“Finally. Thanks, Eugene. So Hugo basically stalked me back to my house and helped me put together my newest invention, then invited a few of his ‘friends’ over and the number kept growing. Before I knew it I was running a club, heh. Lance and the girls showed up a week ago while it was happening and they wanted to be involved. I made Lance my Emcee and Angry and Catalina got to help with the food.”

“Which has its benefits because we get to eat most of it!” Catalina added.

“Though I don’t know why it always has to be ham sandwiches. Why not turkey or something? Switch it up, V!” Angry mentioned.

“It’s a delicacy and everybody loves them. Not happening,” Varian shot back.

Hugo found his words again and spoke up.

“Just for the record, I did not stalk you. I told you I could help multiple times before following you home. There’s a difference, Goggles.”

“Eugene can you do that thing you did earlier to shut him up? It was much more peaceful five minutes ago,” Varian remarked sarcastically.

“’Goggles’ is also _my_ nickname! Does this kid have any original ideas?” Eugene remarked under his breath.

“No. He does not.” Varian replied.

“He’s not wrong. By the way, _Hairstripe_ is a great nickname! Might have to start using that one,” Hugo taunted, winking at Eugene.

Cassandra spoke up and interrupted their fighting.

“Varian, by the way, what does your dad think of all this?”

“And now folks, let’s give it up for our DJ, The Knight of the Night!” Lance announced.

Quirin came onto the stage wearing his whole Dark Kingdom uniform and started messing with some new sound equipment Varian had set up.

“You know, I’d say he’s pretty okay with it,” Varian laughed, pointing behind him.

“And his partner, the King of Chaos!” The emcee called out.

Edmund walked on to the stage and started DJing with Quirin. They actually put together some pretty good music.

Eugene’s jaw dropped.

“My _dad_ is in on this too?” 

“Hello, Horace! Glad you could come!” Edmund said, pointing Eugene out in the crowd.

“It’s _Eugene_!”

Hugo smirked and seized his moment.

“Aw come on, _Horace_. Don’t look so down. It’s a party after all,” he mocked.

“Kid, I swear, I can lock you up right now,” Eugene told him.

“Jail isn’t fun,” Varian whispered from behind him.

“Under what charges?” Hugo played.

“Well, we can always start with stalking a minor, but I’m sure there are plenty more.”

“ _Ha_!” Varian jeered.

“Oh come on, guys we’re at a party! You don’t want to spend the whole night fighting! Let’s make the most of it!”

“Fine. Truce?” Eugene asked, holding out his hand to Hugo.

“Temporary truce,” he said as he shook it.

Rapunzel dragged all of her friends, including Hugo, into the crowd and they danced and shouted until their feet hurt and their voices were sore. It was a fantastic night for all of them.

~

Varian decided when the party had ended that this would be the last night for his club. It was a lot of work and he already had enough on his plate already. Besides, he didn’t need an adoring cheering his name to make him feel special, he had his family to remind him of that every day. 

When most of the guests left, Varian had a huge mess to clean up, but all of his friends stayed behind to help him. He was so grateful to have such supportive and understanding companions like Rapunzel, Cassandra, Eugene, Lance, Angry, and Catalina, and he was even glad that he gained a new friend, Hugo, out of this whole ordeal. Even though the guy drove him up a wall sometimes. 

~

Varian headed into work the next day with newfound confidence, knowing for sure that he could make fully working hot water machines for all of Corona to enjoy. In the beginning, to tell the truth, Varian had been slightly intimidated to be the “official Royal Engineer,” but after seeing how everyone loved and supported him for who he was, even if there was an occasional explosion, he was completely ready to take on the position and all of its challenges with his friends by his side. As he twisted in the last bolt on his machine, he could almost hear the crowd in the back of his mind, cheering him on.

_“Varian! Varian! Varian!”_

(Art by @justanotherhopelessfanartist!!!)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! This was probably my favorite oneshot to write! I'm also thinking of doing a Eugene, Varian, and Hugo type thing in the future because they're dynamic together is honestly hilarious 😅 Hope you enjoyed the Night Club crack!


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